Green Eyed Girl
by Treegirl4
Summary: SPIN-OFF FROM 'GREEN AND GOLD' *read Green and Gold first or you'll get a little lost* Andy's POV. A beautiful new student comes to Forks High. Can Andy befriend her? And in doing so, will he discover the truth about who- and what- she is?
1. The New Girl

I'd heard about the new girl at school before I saw her. The people I heard talking about her said she was pretty. That was if a boy was speaking. The girls said she was weird and unfriendly. So I guessed the boys were right, and the girls were jealous.

A lot of people like making friends with new students. Like it's an oppurtunity to take control or something. But I was perfectly happy with the friends I had. I didn't hope to be in a class with the new girl. I just wanted to see her, to see if the boys were right.

I had no doubt it was her when I first saw her in gym class. She didn't look like anyone else at Forks High. It wasn't just that she was really pretty- there were other students like that- but she was different in another way. She had a confidence about her that you knew was there, even without talking to her. She had tanned skin- tanned like she spent lots of time outside doing things, not just sunbaking. Her eyes were bright, bright green- they almost shone when the light reflected off them. Her eyes were a nice shape as well, curling up just a tiny bit on the sides. Her hair had blonde and straight and sort of midlength, not short and not long. She wore it out, flowing around her shoulders. She was short; a head shorter than me at least and I wasn't a tall guy. But despite her height, her brown legs looked long.

She didn't have a partner. She was standing alone, looking out of place amoung the simulary dressed students in her casual clothes- short, black shorts and a white t-shirt that said I heart Oz. I didn't know what Oz was- was it like the Wizard of Oz?- but it still looked cool. Without even thinking about it, I approached her.

"Do you have a partner?" I asked. I meant to sound cool and confident, like she was, but it came out like I was a shy nerd asking the most popular girl in school. Which wasn't so far from the truth, really.

"No. Do you?" She said. She had an accent I didn't recognise. It wasn't really exoctic sounding, it was just different.

"No." I replied. There was a pause.

_This is where you're supposed to ask her to be your partner, idiot!_ I screamed at myself. I opened my mouth to speak, but she did first.

"We'll be partners then." she said.

I nodded like the mute idiot I was.

"I'm Juniper," she said.

Juniper. What a funny name. But I didn't really react to it. I had a friend called River in primary school- apparently his mom had loved River Pheonix- and he hated it when people reacted to his name. So I kept my face blank, as if she'd said her name was Julia.

"Andy," I said.

She looked surprised for half a second- maybe she was expecting a reaction to her name. Maybe I should have reacted? But she looked pleased, so maybe she was gald I hadn't.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"You too." I said, maybe a little too quickly. "So... you're new here right?"

I knew the answer of course, but it was something to say. It gave me time to think of something cool to say to her.

"Yeah," she replied. "Today's my first day."

I nodded.

"Did you just move to Forks or something?" A bit of a stupid question, but it bought me more time.

"Yeah, a few days ago."

I nodded again. Should I ask where she lived? Or would I look like a stalker? Maybe just her phone number? But then it would look like I wanted to ask her out. Which I wouldn't mind doing actually...

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but then we were called to start playing.

We played volleyball together. She looked too short to be able to play very well, and so I tried to cover most of the court. It turned out she was better than I thought- she got under every ball I missed and occassionaly would duck in front of me to take a shot herself.

After gym I went to the changerooms. All the guys were talking about the pretty new girl.

"She's pretty hot. Where's she from?" Ben Miller was saying.

"Australia. Didn't you notice the t-shirt?" Daniel Tarraway replied.

So that was what Oz meant.

"Australia? That's ages away. Why do you reackon she's moved here?" Mike Newton joined in. Ben and Daniel looked at him like _What are you doing talking to us?_ Ben and Daniel were both tall football players and generally thought they were better than the rest of the gym class.

"Who cares! I'm asking her out." Ben said.

"She won't go out with you!" A skinny boy named Clive said.

"And she'll go out with you will she?" Ben replied.

"Nah, she's the type that goes out with seniors." Daniel mused, probably wondering if he could convince her he was one, with his height and his sixpack.

"Or just really good looking guys." Clive said.

"What, like you?" Daniel said scornfully.

"Nah, like... I dunno... people like Edward Cullen." Clive said.

Ben snorted. "Cullen? He's a freak. And he doesn't talk to anyone anyway."

"She doesn't talk to anyone really either." Clive said defensively.

"The only person she talked to today was that Andy kid." Daniel agreed.

They seemed to realise I was standing there and turned to me.

"What did she say to you anyway?"

I shrugged.

"Not much. I just asked her if she wanted to be my partner and she said yes."

Ben and Daniel exchanged a meaningful look, and then Daniel put a hand on my shoulder, making a show of leaning down to be at my eye level, even though I was less than a head shorter than he was. Some other guys snickered.

"Andy, I know it might feel like she likes you and you're probably thinking that in time you could even ask her out, but in reality she was just being nice to you today. It wouldn't really be fair if you asked her out when Ben and I have both said we want to, would it."

I said nothing.

"Bros before hoes mate." Ben said. "I mean, sure you can be friends with her or whatever you want to do, but don't say we didn't warn you when she ditches you to hang out with, well, cooler people."

Daniel straightened up and him and Ben left the changeroom.

I got some smirks from some people and some sympathetic glances from others. I packed up my stuff and left, wondering if Ben and Daniel _were_ right- maybe Juniper was just being nice when she agreed to be my partner. But I didn't agree with them about having first shot asking her out. I'd do what I wanted. But even as I thought that, I knew I'd never be brave enough to ask Juniper on a date.

I went out to the car park. It was begginning to get busy with students coming to their cars. I saw a blonde girl race away on a motorised scooter. Was that Juniper? I thought it must be because I'd never seen anyone on a scooter before. But why didn't she have a car? I felt sorry for her, riding home in the rain. I should offer her a lift in my car sometime... Who was I kidding? I'd never have the guts to offer her a lift home.

I got into my own car and drove home, all the way thinking about the tanned, blonde girl with green eyes.


	2. Friends

Despite my worrying, Juniper didn't ignore me or blow me off the next day in gym class. She happily came to stand by my side, and asked if we would be partners again. I said yes of course. I noitced Ben and Daniel glaring at me, but it wasn't really my fault- Juniper had asked me after all. Still, I worried about what they'd do to me after class.

We were playing volleyball again- we tending to stick to the same sport for a week or more, which got very boring- and I let Juniper take more shots. I hated to admit it, but she was the better player. She was fit- fitter than she looked- and strong for such a small person. I didn't really mind if she took more shots than me, because it gave me a chance to watch her; something Ben, Daniel, Clive and almost all the boys in our gym class were doing from the other courts. Her hair flew around her as she ran around the court, her brown legs strong and powerful as she leapt up to spike the ball. She seemed very self-concious of her ears for some reason- they looked perfectly normal to me, but every time there was a break in play she would pull her hair so it covered them again.

Gym class was the same the next day. Juniper and I didn't really talk like we had the first day; she just asked if it was okay if we were partners again, and I said yes, of course it was. I would have liked to have a bit more of a conversation with her, but we were always pushed onto the court to start playing.

I never saw Juniper in the cafeteria. I thought this was strange, because where else would she go at lunchtime? Where would she get food? I searched for her and never saw her at anyone else's table, and I began to worry that she had no one to sit with.

Then, on Thurday, I saw her. She was waiting in the line to get food, easy to spot in a white beret. I only saw her in her gym clothes normally, but occassionally I saw her in her other clothes. She dressed differently to everyone at Forks High- her clothes looked like they were all bought from a designer store.

She looked worried, nervous. She was keeping her head bent like she didn't want to be noticed. Who was she hiding from?

As she stood there, she glanced out and scanned the room. Was she looking for someone. I was suddenly full with hope that she was looking for me, that she was going to come and sit with me and my friends. But her eyes skimmed over my table, and settled on the Cullens for some bizzare reason. I looked at the Cullens too- sitting all alone at their usual table, all staring into space and not eating. Edward's stare was fixed on something though, and I realised that Juniper and Edward were staring at each other. I remebered who Clive said she would like. '_People like Edward Cullen_'. Was she really interested in him?

But she didn't look like she was- she looked almost scared. I couldn't say I blamed her- Edward was freaky with his dark eyes. I watched as Juniper paid for her food and left quickly. I wondered where she was going.

"What are you staring at?" Kate asked me.

"Nothing," I said, turning away from Juniper's retreating figure.

"Nothing." Tom repeated, grinning, "Which in Andy's language means _Juniper_."

I felt my face grow hot.

"I was not," I said.

"Who's Juniper?" Steph asked.

"New girl." Tom said. "She's in Andy's gym class."

"Is she the blonde one?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, the one with the great tan." Matt said.

I nodded and Matt laughed.

"She's way out of your league mate!"

"What do you mean?" Steph said, "Andy's a nice guy. Why wouldn't Juniper like him?"

Steph had a habit of standing up for me like this. We had been friends since our mom's had organised playdates for us as toddlers. She had always been bigger than me- she was almost as tall as Ben Miller and Daniel Tarraway- and so she had a sort of protective instinct.

"If you saw her, you'd understand." Matt said, rolling his eyes at Tom in a way that said _Girls don't get it_.

"You should ask her to prom Andy. When it's closer, I mean." Kate said.

"Yeah! She's new, no one else will ask her." Alex added.

"I don't know. If I wasn't tied up I would be." Tom said playfully and Alex punched him.

"Can we talk about something else?" I muttered. My face had been on fire the entire conversation. I was glad Juniper didn't eat in the cafeteria.

My friends dropped it then, and conversation moved on to other topics.

As I left the cafeteria Steph whispered,

"Just talk to her. Be yourself. I know she'll like you."

I thought about that all through my English class. Maybe I should talk to Juniper some more. We hadn't really had a conversation, unless you counted her first day. And that was just a few questions. We really should talk more. She didn't seem to have a lot of friends- maybe I could be one?

I got to Gym, looking forward to seeing her, and dreading trying to talk to her. What if I couldn't get a word out?

We were playing tennis. I wasn't very good at tennis, but I didn't care because there weren't enough courts. That meant we'd have to sit and watch a little. Which meant lots of time for conversation.

Juniper didn't ask if I'd be her partner today- she seemed to assume it would be okay after three days of doing so. We sat on the edge of the court to watch. I was aware of her every move as she watched the game. I wondered if she was aware of the insensity with which I was staring at her.

"Where do you go at lunchtime?" I blurted out. I could have slapped myself. I hadn't meant to ask that straight off, I had been planning to build to that question. But I'd said it now.

She didn't look at me properly, and I wondered if she was mad.

"I do my homework." she said, her voice expressionless, eyes focussed on the game.

This wasn't what I'd been expecting. She didn't strike me as a very studious person.

"Why?" I asked. "Why don't you go to the cafeteria?"

She didn't answer, just kept staring at the tennis.

"Is it because you have no one to sit with? Because you can sit with me if you want."

She turned and faced me, turning her whole body, not just her head.

"Do you know the shop between the video rental place and the watch repairer?" she asked me.

I didn't know where she was going with this, but I nodded.

"Yeah. It's the empty building, right?"

She nodded. "I own that shop." she said.

"You mean your family own it?" I said.

She gave a funny half nod and hurried on.

"Anyway I own the shop now, and I'm going to open it and work in it and everything. And I have to be open after school and serve customers and things. So I have to do my homework at lunchtime, or else I wouldn't have time to do it." she said.

I nodded, wondering why her parents made her work so much. My parents wouldn't make me work so much that I didn't have time to do homework.

"Do you like working all the time?" I asked.

Did that sound too protective and weird? Was I acting too concerned?

Her mouth twitched like she was going to laugh.

"I don't mind it. It's fun sometimes," she said.

I didn't answer. I wasn't sure what to say. We went back to watching the tennis game, and eventually had a turn playing. She was good at tennis too, which didn't really surprise me. Those tanned legs could carry her all over the court.

I tried to say goodbye to her at the end of class, but she had already gone to change. I saw her leaving on her scooter again, her blonde hair flying out behind her. I wondered if she considered me a friend. And if she did, could I ever be something more?


	3. Invitation

The next day she had a proper Gym outfit. I liked her more in her clothes that made her stand out- she was the sort of person who was made to stand out. But at the same time, I was glad that the other boys didn't stare at her as much. Although Ben and Daniel's eyes still wandered to our court more than once.

She wasn't very talkative. I talked a lot, probably too much. I wanted to find out more about her, but I didn't know how to do so without looking like a stalker. So I talked about myself, hoping she would do the same. We didn't have as much time to sit and watch today, but even when we were on the court, I talked to her. The pair we were playing were pretty terrible, and it wasn't hard to talk when they were wasting time, trying to serve and passing balls to each other.

In the changerooms, Ben and Daniel were once again discussing Juniper.

"Next week man," Ben said, "I'm asking her out next week,"

I said nothing. I knew Juniper would say no if Ben did ask her out. She never even looked at him in Gym class, despite his best efforts to flex his muscles at every opportunity. If she said yes, it would just be out of politeness.

"Well, when you get rejected, I'll be waiting," Daniel said.

"Please, neither of you stand a chance," Clive said pompously.

Ben and Daniel looked at him.

"I saw her in the cafeteria the other day. Looking at Edward Cullen,"

Ben rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, you midget. She's not interested in the Cullen freak,"

"He's in her Biology class as well," Mike Newton offered.

Ben looked slightly concerned by this, then recovered.

"She's not into guys like him. She'll be into athletes. Like me," he puffed himself up to full height, heels lifting off the ground.

Even though I knew Juniper didn't like Ben or Daniel, or Edward Cullen either, it didn't make me feel any better. Because as far as I could tell, she didn't like me that way either.

Another new girl came to Forks High, Isabella Swan, and she was in my Gym class too. This stopped Mike Newton from looking at Juniper, but not Ben and Daniel- while they said that Isabella Swan was pretty, she wasn't 'model hot', like Juniper was.

Juniper seemed distracted today. She would occasionally look at Isabella, looking almost relieved. I couldn't work out what it meant.

"So, you have much homework?" I asked her.

"No, not really," she said, not really paying attention.

"Me neither," I said. "Just an english essay,"

"Yeah, me too," she said, still distracted.

I wondered if I'd said something wrong, to make her go all distant like this. Was I acting too desperate?

When I came to school the next day, I noticed Juniper riding in on her scooter behind me. She had her iPod in, and she looked like she was singing aloud, oblivious to people staring at her. Or maybe she just didn't care.

I parked and got out of my car. Should I go and talk to her? We'd never spoken outside Gym class.

I started to approach her. As I got closer I realized what she was wearing. She always looked good, but today she looked amazing. She didn't seem to care that it was freezing- her arms and legs were bare, in short denim shorts and a silver top with no straps. She was almost as tall as me in her black high heels.

She started walking towards the school building. I quickened my pace to catch up with her. Then I saw them. Ben, flanked by Daniel and three other football players, had walked up behind her. I slowed, not wanting to talk to her with them standing there. I was close enough to hear Ben as he spoke to her,

"Hi," he said.

She spun around. She looked worried. Which was fair enough- she was surrounded, after all, by guys she didn't know.

I watched Ben smile slowly, probably trying to look cool. I thought it looked creepy. But would Juniper see it like that? Maybe she thought it looked sexy?

She smiled back. Did she look wary, or was that my wishful thinking? Was she interested in them?

"You're Juniper, right?" Ben said.

"Yeah." she replied, cool as anything.

Ben nodded, trying to look thoughtful.

"Interesting name." he said.

He had said he was going to ask her out. Why he needed an entourage for this, I had no idea. But I wanted to be there anyway, to watch Juniper's reaction.

The guys nearer the back were mumbling to each other. Judging by what they were saying, they didn't think Juniper could hear them. But when I looked at Juniper's face, I knew she could.

"Man, she's hot." one of them said. I recognized him as Chace Bowen; another big, football guy.

"She's too short if you ask me." Tyler Wood, the fussiest guy ever.

"Nah, I like 'em short." Chace said.

"You just want someone easy to get on top of." Tyler replied.

There was soft laughter.

"That's not true. I just don't like tall girls. They're..." Chace trailed off.

"Who cares how tall she is? She's freaking sexy." Daniel put in.

"Dibs on asking her to prom." said the other guy. I thought it was Rob Davis.

"Fine. I'll take her to the Spring Dance." Daniel replied.

"It's girls choice, idiot."

"But by then she'll be so madly in love with me that she'll want to take me."

I looked at Juniper's face. She had heard everything. I instantly felt sorry for her.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked Ben. Her voice was cold.

Ben smiled, looking like a complete sleaze.

"We had just noticed that you didn't seem to have a lot of friends here. Wondering if you wanted a group to hang out with."

_That_ was the line he was taking? Do you want a group to hang out with?

"I'm fine thank you." Juniper said, and turned around, ending the conversation.

She had looked fine when she spoke to them, but as she walked away I saw her face again, saw how truly upset she was. I wished I could comfort her, could hold her small body in my arms and tell her not to worry about them. But I'd never be able to do that.

Or could I? Could I ask her out?

Well, the obvious answer was yes. Nothing was stopping me. The question really was _would_ I ask her out. Would I be brave enough. She seemed to like me. She always talked to me in Gym class. We were friends, or at least I thought so. Would it be so bad for a friend to ask another friend to the Spring Dance. Sure, it was girl's choice, but I could always just suggest we go together.

I could. I _would_. I would ask Juniper out.

I went off to first hour, hardly able to wait for Gym class.

When she walked into Gym, she looked a little worried. She forehead was creased slightly, and she walked slower than usual. Maybe today wasn't a good time to ask her. But I knew if I didn't, I never would.

"Hi Juniper," I said when she reached me.

"Hi," she said.

"I think we're playing basketball today." I said, more as something to say than anything else.

"Oh, good." I said. She seemed pleased. No doubt she was good at basketball too, although she was a little short for a basketball player.

We started doing a warm up drill. We all lined up to do lay ups. I stood behind her. This was my chance. I took a deep breath.

"So," I began. "Are you going to the Spring Dance?"

"I haven't really thought about it." she said. I couldn't tell from her tone what this meant.

"Do you want to go?" I asked, more carefully. I watched her face, trying to guess what she was thinking.

"Yes." she said without hesitation.

I paused, unsure what to say next.

"Who are you going with?" I asked. I could have slapped myself. That was so stalkerish and weird. She'd think I was a total freak.

"I don't know." she said. Her face didn't betray any emotion. She seemingly did not think I was a total stalker.

"Do I have to go with someone?" she asked.

I was surprised by this. I hadn't even thought about it, just assumed she'd go with someone. She had enough people wanting to take her...

"I suppose not." I said, "But everyone does."

"And I'll look like a loser if I don't." she finished.

I felt my cheeks warm, and hoped she hadn't noticed.

"I didn't mean that." I said, hoping I hadn't offended her.

"I know you didn't. But I know that's true." she said, smiling at me.

I got that warm, bubbly sensation I always got when she smiled at me, and for a moment I didn't know what to say. There was another awkward pause.

"I suppose I better ask someone then," she said. She looked at me strangely. Did she want me to ask her?

"Who are you going to ask?" Double slap. That was practically the same as my last stalker question. I felt my cheeks go hot again, and wished I could just run away and hide.

Juniper shrugged.

"I dunno. Don't know that many people," She looked away, and I thought for a moment her eyes were finding Ben in the crowd, but then they were focussed on me. Her green eyes looked straight into mine. I could get lost in those eyes- they were the prettiest shade of green I'd ever seen, so bright and beautiful.

"You wanna go with me?" she asked. Her voice was cool, slightly detached even. But it was still an invitation.

I tried to keep my voice as nonchalant as hers. But I couldn't control the excitement bubbling up inside me.

"Yeah, okay," I said. "That would be good,"

She smiled and turned away slightly. As soon as she wasn't looking, I permitted myself to grin widely.

I'd done it. I was going to the Spring Dance with Juniper.

I had first hour with Matt and Tom, and so I couldn't wait to tell them what I'd done. Especially Matt. He'd said that Juniper was out of my league; well, obviously she didn't think so. I was already imagining the Spring Dance, fantasizing about dancing with her, watching her perfect body move to the music...

"Hey Andy," Matt said as he walked into Spanish and dropped his books onto the table.

"Hi," I said.

Matt looked at me weirdly.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

I realized I was grinning, and quickly closed my mouth.

"I'm fine," I said.

Tom walked in and sat down on Matt's other side.

"Hey guys," he said, "What's up with Andy?"

"Nothing's wrong with me," I said, "I'm just happy,"

Matt and Tom exchanged a look.

"What happened?" Matt asked warily.

I shrugged, trying to look cool, although I could feel my grin spreading across my face again.

"I'm going to the Spring Dance with Juniper," I said, and looked at them, waiting for their reaction. I suppose I should have been insulted that their faces were pure shock. But right then, I didn't care.

"She asked you?" Matt asked, amazed.

I nodded happily.

"Are you sure some senior wasn't standing behind you at the time?" Tom asked jokingly.

I laughed and shook my head.

Matt and Tom looked at each other.

"Wow," Matt said. He would have said more, but at that point Mrs. Goff walked in to start the lesson, and the conversation ended.


	4. Introductions

By lunchtime, everybody seemed to know that I was going to the Spring Dance with Juniper. Tom had told Alex in second hour, who had told Kate in third, who had told Steph and been overheard by Jessica Stanley, who had told the entire school population in under five minutes. I got a few jealous glares from other guys as I made my way into the cafeteria and sat down on our usual table.

"So where is this Juniper girl," Kate asked. "How come she's never here at lunchtime?"

I shrugged. I didn't want to tell them about what Juniper did- she had told me that as a friend. And I didn't want them getting a bad opinion of Juniper before they even met her.

"I think it's so great you're going with her to the Spring Dance," Steph said to me.

"Lucky you got in early, I heard there were ten more guys in line behind you," Tom joked.

My face darkened. I knew Ben and Daniel would be angry, Ben especially. I wasn't looking forward to seeing them after Gym class.

The second I walked into the change rooms they cornered me. They had been sending me death stares all lesson, when I was talking to Juniper. We hadn't even talked about much, just the good weather that was supposed to be coming. Well, good for Forks, anyway.

"So, you asked her to the Spring Dance then?" Ben asked me.

They towered over me, but I refused to be intimidated.

"No," I said, "She asked me."

They seemed surprised by this. Obviously they had been planning on using the 'she just said yes to be nice to you' line, but it wouldn't work now.

"Well," Daniel said, "I suppose she felt she had to ask you. You follow her around like a puppy dog,"

My mouth opened in surprise. Followed her around? When had I ever followed her around? I only ever saw her in Gym class.

"Yeah," Ben said, instantly agreeing. He put a hand on my shoulder, mockingly. "Like, no offense man, but it looks a _little_ desperate,"

He laughed, and Daniel joined in. I look behind them at the other guys, wondering if anyone was going to help me out. But all of them were either ignoring us or grinning along with Ben and Daniel.

"Well, have fun at the Spring Dance Andy," Ben said, picking up his bag and heading for the door. "That is, if you're still going with Juniper by then."

I ignored him. I knew Juniper wouldn't bail out on me. She wasn't that kind of girl.

I went home and started my homework. My mom came up to my room and knocked on the door, even though it was wide open.

"Hey mom," I said.

"Steph's family are coming around for dinner," she said.

"Cool," I said, not really caring. Steph would have as much homework as me, and we wouldn't get to do anything fun. Steph's family came round for dinner almost every month. When we were younger Steph and I had played. Now we studied.

My mom sat down on my bed.

"So, how's school?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Fine,"

"How are Matt and Tom? And Alex and Kate?"

"They're good,"

My mom nodded, smoothing my bedspread.

"Have you made any new friends recently?"

I froze and looked at her. She looked back innocently.

"Why?" I asked.

My mom shrugged.

"When I invited Tonya over she said that Steph had been talking about a new girl at school called Juniper. Apparently she's a friend of yours."

I shrugged again.

"Yeah,"

My mom looked at me carefully.

"Why haven't I heard anything about her,"

Once again, I shrugged.

"Not much to tell,"

Which was a total lie of course. I could talk about Juniper for ages. Just describing her eyes would take me a good half hour.

My mom stood up, apparently satisfied, and left. I cursed Steph for mentioning Juniper to her mom. Steph and her mom, Tonya, were really close and Steph told her everything. Normally it didn't bother me.

I went back to my homework, but now I was distracted. I couldn't stop thinking about Juniper. I wondered what she was doing now. Was she doing homework too? Or was she working? Or was she doing something else entirely? Was it stupid to hope that, just maybe, she might be thinking about me too?

I had never hated Gym Class, but now I looked forward to it all day. Every time I saw Juniper I felt that strange bubbly happiness. I didn't care that Ben and Daniel looked ready to punch my face in, as long as I got to see those green eyes.

"Hey Juniper." I said as soon as she arrived.

"Hi Andy," she replied. I liked the way it felt when she said my name. It made me feel special.

She frowned, and I wondered what I had done wrong.

"Um, Andy?" she said, almost hesitantly. "About the Spring Dance."

I remembered Ben's words. _If you're still going with her my then_. I hadn't thought Juniper would bail out on me. Had I been wrong? There were, after all, a lot of guys that wanted to take her. Guys a lot better looking than me...

"I understand. It's okay." I said. Even though she was bailing on me, I still wanted to be her friend. I wasn't going to make her feel bad about it.

"Do you even know what I'm going to say?" she asked, confused.

"That someone else has asked you and you're going with them instead." I said. Stating the obvious, really.

"No! No, I wasn't going to say that." she said, and my deflated spirit lifted just a little. "No, it's just that I've been asked to do a song on the night. It'll only take a few minutes, it's just one song."

"So you're still going with me then?" I asked her.

"Of course I am." she said, her bright green eyes sincere.

"Oh. Good." I said, feeling like an idiot. Of course she wasn't bailing out on me. I'd been stupid to let Ben's words get to me.

"So, whatcha wearing?" she asked me, teasing.

"No idea." I said, then worried it had been a serious question. "Why? Do you care?"

She shook her head, a smile on her lips.

"Turn up in a paper bag, I won't mind." she said, smiling prettily. I found myself staring at her lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them. They looked so soft and warm. I wanted to press my own lips against them, to taste that smile and the beautiful girl it belonged to. But I never would. Juniper and I were just friends after all. We were going to the dance as friends. That was all we'd ever be.

I had grown used to not seeing Juniper in the cafeteria, and so I was surprised when I saw her blonde head standing in line to buy her food. I wondered if I should tell her to sit with us. I knew my friends wouldn't mind. But would she want to sit with people she didn't know?

I was still debating when I saw her heading for the exit.

"Juniper!" I called out to her.

She stopped dead in her tracks, and slowly- reluctantly- turned around.

I was beginning to regret saying anything when she obviously didn't want to be there, but I couldn't do anything about it now. I beckoned her over with my hand. She walked towards our table and smiled at me, but her smile was uncertain.

"Hi Andy," she said.

My friends had all turned to look when I'd called out to her and now they were all staring at her. I hoped they weren't making her feel self-concious.

"Hey Juniper," I said, "You wanna sit with us?"

She looked unsure. She glanced around the table at my friends. Steph smiled encouragingly, but the rest of them kept their faces blank.

"Um..." she said, hesitating. "Okay."

I made room for her and pulled a chair over. She sat down.

"This is Kate, Steph, Alex, Matt, and Tom." I said, pointing to each of them as I said their name. I realized I'd probably gone too fast and overwhelmed her, but I could hardly do it again.

They all said hi to her.

"Hi," Juniper said, "Nice to meet all of you,"

She smiled uncertainly again, and I felt bad for making her sit there and try to make conversation with strangers. She obviously preferred wherever else she went at lunchtime.

"So, Juniper," said Steph, the first one to start a conversation as always. "How long have you been in Forks?"

"About a month ago. I moved here early February." Juniper replied.

"Cool." Steph said, smiling in a friendly sort of way.

After that, conversation became easier. They asked her a few questions about herself, and then she stopped being the centre of attention and became just one of the group, which I could tell she preferred. I felt a sort of victory at introducing her to my friends. She looked like she was enjoying herself, after that initial awkwardness. I was sad when lunch was over and I had to go to fifth hour. But I knew I'd see Juniper in Gym class.

"So, have you fallen behind on your homework?" I asked when I saw her.

"I'll be okay," she said, smiling at the joke.

"Did you enjoy having a lunchtime off?" I asked her. I said it casually, but I meant it as a serious question. When she replied, her voice was sincere.

"Yeah, I did." she said. "Your friends are nice."

"Yeah, they're pretty good," I said, glad they'd made a good impression on her. I decided to tease her a little. "It took a little to convince them you're not a freak, but..." I trailed off, grinning.

"Thanks." she said, in a rather bad attempt at sarcasm. I grinned.

I was glad that she decided to keep sitting with us at lunchtimes. I'd worried that it would be a one-off, but the next day she came and sat down at our table like she had done so forever. The girls always had their own conversations and now was no different- Juniper was dragged into discussions about clothes and shoes, although I guessed she wouldn't mind, she seemed so into them herself.

Gym class was fun with Juniper. We didn't really do what we were supposed to, and we laughed a lot. Ben and Daniel hadn't bothered me as much lately- they just glared at me a lot. But it didn't really bother me; it was a small price to pay for Juniper's company.


	5. The Spring Dance

The Spring Dance was getting closer, and all the girls were getting excited. I would never admit it to Tom or Matt, but I was just as excited as them, but only because I was going with Juniper. Normally I wasn't into dances at all- I was a terrible dancer and I knew it.

I watched Juniper's blonde head disappear into the crowd, already impatient for sixth hour. Was it wrong to miss her after an hour? Was that too obsessive? I hoped not, because as much as I wished I didn't, I did.

I always said hi to her when she walked into Gym. She was always later then me, because I practically ran to get there, just so I could see her walking in and not miss a second with her.

"Hey Juniper!" I said.

"Hey Andy," she replied, smiling happily. I smiled back. And then, she stepped forwards and wrapped her warm, tanned arms around me. Her hands slipped under my arms and held me tightly. It was only for a second, but it sent a shiver of energy down my spine. Her body pressed against mine was warm, I could smell her hair as her head touched my chest. Her hair didn't smell of fake fruit, like shampoo- it smelt like nothing I'd ever smelt before, natural and beautiful, almost like... a tree. I wanted to put my arms around her, to pull her in and hold her tightly. But before I could even consider this properly, she had pulled away. I was still surprised she'd even hugged me. She seemed shocked too, like she'd done it without thinking.

"Sorry," she said, acting nonchalant.

"No, it's okay." I said. I could feel a grin spreading across my face.

She looked at me for a moment, seemed to decide something, and changed the subject.

"So, did we bore you to tears at lunch today?" she asked, teasing.

I rolled his eyes, playing along, although my mind was still reeling. Had she hugged me like I saw girls hugging each other all the time- as friends. Or did she consider me something more?

"I don't know how you can talk about clothes for that long!" I said.

"I'm in fashion, remember. I could talk for hours. Days, if I didn't require sleep." she said.

I smiled. "Are you looking forward to going? To the Spring Dance?" I asked her. _Are you looking forward to going with me as much as I'm looking forward to going with you?_

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah. It'll be great."

"What song are you going to sing?" I asked her. I'd heard her discussing it with Steph, Kate and Alex.

She shrugged.

"Not sure yet. I was going to ask-" She paused.

"Going to ask who?" I asked, wondering why she'd stopped.

"Um, Steph and Kate and Alex." she said quickly.

"Yeah, they'll have lots of ideas." I said. Steph had always fancied herself as an expert in music. "Are you going to do a new song?"

"Not exactly new," she said, "I was thinking a song that's a few years old. You know- a really good song people still like."

I nodded. "Sounds good." I said. I watched her face as she turned to listen to the coaches instructions. What had the hug meant? Nothing? Or something? I hoped it was the latter.

The days leading up to the Spring Dance were uneventful, but exciting nonetheless. The feeling in the school was electric. We had a bludge Gym lesson- just mucking around with any equipment we wanted- and then got let out early. I had organized with Juniper to pick her up at seven, but I reminded her, just in case. I could tell she was excited too, but I didn't know if she was excited to be going to the dance, or excited to be going _with me_.

I drove home faster than I usually did. I had done most of my homework the night before, and so I only had a little bit to do. I rushed through it, not bothering to check my work, and then had a shower. I washed my hair, but when I dried it, it stuck up all over the place. I tried to flatten in, but went overboard, slicking it back too much. I fiddled with it for ages, and in the end opted to leave it how it was. Hopefully Juniper liked the messy look.

I got dressed- I had rented a tux the week before. When I went out to the kitchen to make something to eat before I left, my mom insisted on taking a photo.

"So, who are you taking to this thing Andy?" my dad asked from the couch.

"Um, just a girl called Juniper," I said, reluctant to bring it up in front of my mom, who would no doubt start asking me about her again.

"Juniper? Unusual name,"

"Yeah," I said.

"Well, have fun then," my dad said to me, "Have a good time with Juniper,"

"And stay safe," my mom added, "Don't drink, and don't accept anything from people you don't know,"

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes mom," I said.

When I had escaped my parents, I drove to Juniper's house. Although it wasn't a house at all- it was her shop, Forks Fashion Boutique. I pulled up in front of it and honked the horn to let her know I was there. I wasn't sure if she'd have a doorbell or not.

I got out of the car. It was drizzling so I got an umbrella out of the back and unfolded it. I looked towards the door again. Juniper was standing there, just outside the door. I stopped, staring at her. She was wearing a green dress- a green the exact same shade as her eyes. She was wearing light blue high heels. Her hair was straighter than usual, I noticed. I thought she was wearing something on her eyes, but I couldn't tell. She wasn't wearing as much makeup as most girls did- she looked beautiful without it.

"Hi," I managed to say. I had been completely tongue tied up until then.

"Hey," she said. She turned to close the door and I let my eyes rake over her once more. She had an amazing body. But then she turned to look at me again with those eyes, and I knew which part of her I preferred. She took the few steps walk to where I was, standing in the middle of the pavement like an idiot.

"Um... you look b-beautiful." I stuttered out. I sounded stupid, and I knew it, but she seemed pleased with the compliment.

"Thanks." she said, and smiled. That smile made me melt. "You look nice too." she said.

She took a step closer, and for one wild moment I thought she was going to hug me again. Then I realized she was probably just stepping under the umbrella.

"You wanna get going then?" she asked me.

"Yeah," I agreed.

I quickly went round to the passenger door and opened it for her. She seemed really pleased by this too, and thanked me. I got in and started the car.

"You excited?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess." I said, trying not to sound _too_ excited, even though I was. "It should be fun. Are you?"

"I've never been to one of these before." she said

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"They aren't big in Australia." she said. "I did go to a social once, but I had to leave early."

"Why?" I asked.

"My drink got spiked." she said. She didn't say it like it had been a big deal, but something in her expression made me think it had been at the time.

"Were you okay?" I asked, worried that _she_ might be worried about this happening a second time.

"Oh, yeah, I was fine." she said.

I had a feeling that there was more to the story then she was telling me, but I didn't push her for information.

We arrived at the school a moment later- it wasn't a very long trip really. The school was in darkness, but the path to the Gym was lit up. I parked as close to it as I could and got out. I ran around to Juniper's door to let her out. She smiled in thanks, and then we walked in with all the other people. I couldn't see who was who- it was too dark. We followed the crowd into the Gym. I looked at Juniper. She was gazing around, seemingly impressed. I had been to a Spring Dance before- last year Steph and I had gone together, just to see what it was like. They had set it up the same way- one half the dance floor, the other the couches and bar. This year they had a stage, for Juniper and the other performers, I realized. I wondered if she was nervous, but she didn't look it.

"Would you like a drink or something?" I asked her, talking a little louder than usual to be heard over the music. She nodded and we went to the bar. I noticed that people stared at us as we passed. Well, most stares were directed at Juniper. I had the uncomfortable feeling that whenever anyone looked at me they thought 'Why is he with her?'. But Juniper seemed to be ignoring their stares and murmured comments, so I did the same.

I got two glasses of punch and gave one to Juniper. We sat on one of the little couches. Juniper's eyes wandered around the gym again.

"This is really good," she said. She sounded impressed.

"Yeah, they go to a bit of trouble." I replied.

She nodded, still gazing around. I let my eyes wander too, looking for Alex or Tom, who had said they'd be there. I looked at each little couch, but didn't see them. The couple on the couch next to us- a boy and a girl I didn't recognize- were kissing. Their bodies were pressed up against each other, and I remembered how close mine and Juniper's bodies had been when she hugged me. I remembered looking at her lips, imagining kissing them. And suddenly, when I looked at the couple, I saw me and Juniper. It was our lips locked together, my hand on her back, and her arms around my shoulders. I realized I was staring at them and looked at Juniper instead. She was looking at me, and I realized I'd been caught staring. I felt my cheeks grow hot and I dropped my gaze.

Luckily, Alex and Tom chose that moment to arrive.

Alex squealed hello to Juniper, and then the two of them started talking about Alex's dress.

Tom rolled his eyes in their direction.

"The amount I have heard about that dress," he said, shaking his head. Then he looked at me slyly.

"How's it going?"

"How's what going?"

"How's it going with Juniper. You guys... done anything yet,"

I shook my head.

Tom shrugged and smiled.

"Don't worry man," he said. "Hey, at least you know she likes you,"

I frowned.

"How do I know that?"

"Well, she's here with you isn't she?"

Tom had a point. Juniper wouldn't have invited me if she didn't like me at all. I suddenly felt a bit better about myself. Who cared what everyone else thought- Juniper was the one that mattered, and she liked me.

"Hey Andy, do you wanna dance?" she asked me suddenly.

Behind her, Tom gave me a thumbs-up.

I hesitated. I wasn't a great dancer- in fact, I was pretty terrible. But I knew she'd go, with or without me, and I wanted to see her dance.

"Um, okay." I said.

She smiled and before I knew it, grabbed my hand. I tried not to let my expression betray my surprise as she pulled me towards the dance floor. Then she dropped it and walked along beside me. I wanted to take her hand again, but I would look stupid if she dropped my hand and I grabbed hers.

She led me right into the middle of the crowd. I would have preferred to be on the edge, where no one cared if you bumped into them. Juniper slipped between people easily, looking behind her to make sure I was following. I tried not to crush anyone as I moved through.

Finally she stopped. We had more space than I would have thought, but I was still nervous. I would look stupid dancing. Then again, I looked stupid just standing there as well.

Juniper raised her hands above her head, her whole body moving as she started to dance. She managed to effortlessly keep in time, and not touch anyone else as she moved.

"Come on!" she shouted at me, over the noise. She grinned at my uncertain face. "Dance!"

She laughed at me, and I felt myself blush again. She reached out and took both my hands in hers. Her hands were warm and soft, and her fingers held me with a nice pressure. She began to sway slowly, and I followed her, trying to not look stupid. She smiled at me encouragingly. I found I was enjoying myself. Dancing with Juniper wasn't hard at all really. It was almost fun.

The song changed to a slower one. Around us, couples joined together to slow dance, their bodies close. I glanced at Juniper, wondering if we were going to do the same thing. Hoping we were. As our eyes met, I blushed again. I cursed myself for going red so easily.

She took a step closer to me, raising her arms and laying them on my shoulders. Her hands held the back of my neck gently. I allowed my arms to encircle her, putting my hands on her back. I was careful to keep my hands high- I knew she wouldn't like it if I put my hands all over her butt.

We swayed, slowly. I knew she was leading but I didn't care- she was obviously the better dancer. I gazed into her eyes. They were so beautiful, I felt like they couldn't be real, like they were going to disappear if I looked away.

We danced for a long time. The music sped up again after the slow dance and we came apart a little, but Juniper kept a hold of my hands for most of the time.

The performances started, and Juniper and I went to sit down on one of the couches. The band and the soloists were all terrible. I knew Juniper would be better- I had never heard her sing, but I could tell she was a good singer.

Juniper was the last performer of the night. She went just before the end of the girl before me- some sort of Dominatrix wannabe- and Mrs. Trillson announced her. She didn't look nervous at all- she was calm and collected. She looked amazing, standing on stage in her green dress. I whistled and cheered along with Tom and Alex as she started. She held the microphone in her left hand. Then the music started, and she sang.

Her voice was incredible. I had never heard anything like it. She could put half the professional singers out of business. Her voice was strong and rich and beautiful, just like her.

She didn't dance at the start, but then as the first verse began, she did. Naturally, her dancing was better than any of the other performers. People were starting to return to the dance floor, and some were standing right in front of the stage to watch her. I got up off my couch and moved to a better position as people started to crowd in front of me.

When the chorus started, she launched into an energetic dance routine. I didn't know how she managed to do it and sing at the same time, it looked so complicated. But she did it easily, seemingly without thinking.

She was a very dramatic dancer- she paused for a moment, completely still, and then started to dance again, even more energetic than before. Her facial expressions didn't seem to match the song all that much- occasionally she would looked really worried- but it didn't lessen the performance. Her eyes found me in the crowd. I waved. She didn't wave back of course, but she smiled in my direction.

She finished the song and climbed off the stage after bowing to the applause of the audience.

"That was so good!" I yelled when she reached me.

"Thanks," she said, grinning.

I would have thought she'd want to sit down, that she would be exhausted after that performance, but she didn't seem to be at all. She grabbed my hand again and pulled me towards the dance floor. We didn't stop dancing until half the people had left and we decided to go home. We danced together, and with Alex and Tom. We laughed and sang along to the music, especially towards the end of the night when they started playing old nineties songs. We joined hands and spun around the emptying dance floor, and everything was a blur except for her laughing face.

I drove Juniper back to her shop. She told me not to get out of the car, but I did, and went round to open her door. I walked her to the door, still laughing about the night. She opened the door and turned to face me. I stood there, just outside, while she stood in the doorway.

"Goodnight, Juniper." I said.

"Goodnight Andy." she replied. "Thanks for taking me. I had a really good time."

"Technically you took me." I said, laughing.

"Thanks for coming then." she said, laughing with me.

Our laughter ended, and we stood there, silent.

"See you on Monday then." I said.

"Yeah." she replied.

I hesitated, unsure if I should leave. Once again I found myself staring at her lips, imagining how they would feel. But she made no move towards me, and I knew I should go.

"Bye." I said, turning to leave. I hadn't taken a step away before she called after me.

"Wait," she said. And then she took my shoulder, turning me towards her and pulling me close. Then she leaned forwards and pressed those soft pink lips against mine.

Her lips were as soft as I'd imagined- no, they were softer. I wrapped my arms around her small body, pulling her into me. Her arms snaked around my shoulders, one of her hands holding my neck tightly while the other held my head, her fingers gently pulling at my hair. She smelt good- that natural, beautiful smell I'd smelt earlier.

We kissed for a long time. How long exactly, I didn't know. However long it was, I wanted it to last longer.

"I'll see you at school." she whispered into my ear.

Then she turned and quickly walked inside, closing the door behind her.

"Goodnight," I breathed, but she was already gone.

I stood on the doorstep for a moment, then I walked back to my car. I drove home in a daze, playing the kiss over again in my mind. I still couldn't believe it had even happened. But I was sure of one thing. Juniper liked me, as more than just a friend. She liked me. She really, really liked me.


	6. Date

The next day I woke up feeling confident and happy. Because really, why shouldn't I be? Juniper liked me. Juniper had kissed me. Life was good.

My confidence dropped rapidly when I didn't see Juniper at lunchtime. My friends were all asking me about the dance, but Juniper wasn't there. I hadn't told them what had happened yet, and now I was glad I hadn't. Had I been wrong? Had the kiss meant nothing to her? Was it just a thank you kiss? It hadn't felt like a thank you kiss. It had felt special, like it really _meant_ something. How could I have been so wrong?

I tried to reassure myself. Maybe she was sick? Maybe she was late? Maybe she had to do something this lunchtime? Or maybe she didn't want to see me, and explain that the kiss was nothing.

I looked towards the entrance to the cafeteria, looking out for her. I didn't see her. But I did see a flash of blonde hair, the figure of a retreating girl.

"I'l be back in a minute," I said, and ran after her. I didn't know if it was Juniper or not, but I had to check.

I followed her outside into the parking lot. I stopped under the shelter outside the cafeteria. She continued to walk through the rain.

"Juniper?" I called out after her.

She turned. It was her, her green eyes flashing like emeralds. I stepped out into the rain, walking towards her.

"Hi." she said, reluctantly, like she wished I hadn't followed her.

"Hi." I replied. "Where were you?" I hoped that didn't sound too needy. But I needed to know.

"I went home." she said, her face blank.

"Are you sick?" I asked, wondering if my first guess had been right.

She shook her head. "No. Just... confused."

What did that mean? Why was she confused? Confused about me? Confused about us?

"Did you tell the others? About last night?" she asked.

"No." I replied.

She nodded. "Good," she said softly.

"Why?" I asked. I wasn't sure why she thought it was good.

"I don't want them to... assume anything." she said.

I could feel it- she was going to tell me what I had feared. The kiss hadn't meant anything. I was so _stupid_.

"It's okay, Juniper." I said. Again, I didn't want to make it hard for her. Even though I didn't want her to say it, I knew she was going to. "I get it. Last night... it didn't mean anything. Not if you don't want it too. I understand. I don't... I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do."

She bit her lip. She seemed torn. But why? I didn't understand it.

"It's not that I don't want to." she said. Her voice sounded strained. "But, I can't."

"I don't understand." I said. Why couldn't she?

She shook her head.

"Me neither."

What did that mean? What did any of it mean? I just wanted to know what she was thinking, how she was feeling.

We stood there, the rain slowly soaking us.

"Don't worry about it. We'll just be the way we were before-" I began.

"How can you be this nice Andy?" she interrupted. "How are you not frustrated? How is it that you haven't given up on me completely? Why are you so, so..." she trailed off.

I was surprised. I hadn't been expecting that. And I didn't know how to answer her. So I shrugged.

"I like you," I said quietly. "I'm happy to just be your friend. I want to make you happy."

Her eyes sparkled even more than usual. Was she crying? Or was that just the rain?

"I don't want you to be my friend." she said. She spoke quietly and I could hardly hear her over the rain. "I want you to be more. If you want me to be happy, don't do nothing. Just be with me. Stay with me."

She wiped her face, and I realized that she was crying. I didn't want her to cry. I wanted her to smile- that beautiful smile that I loved.

I took a step forwards and hugged her, wrapping my arms around her. She pressed her face against my chest, and I felt that happy, bubbly sensation again. Now I thought we were together. But still, I wanted clarification.

"Just to be clear." I said, quietly, speaking into her ear. "We're, like, together now, right?"

"Yes." she whispered, putting her mouth near my ear. "I'm yours."

I smiled and held her tighter.

"Cool." I said.

I could hardly sit through fifth hour- all I wanted was to see her again. Every second that I wasn't with her, I wished I was. She got there only a second after me today- she must have rushed from fifth hour as well.

"Hey!" she said, smiling broadly.

"Hi! We're doing badminton still." I said, making a face. I hated badminton.

She slumped her shoulders, pretending to be disappointed. Then she straightened up.

"Let's try to play Bella Swan." she said.

"What, so we'll definitely win?" I said.

She laughed and I joined in. I liked that I could make her laugh.

"That's so mean!" she said. "But it's true."

"Depends if she partners with Mike Newton though." I said. "He's good."

She made a face now, turning up one side of her mouth.

"What?" I asked her.

"I reckon we could beat him." she said. Her eyes gleamed.

I smiled.

"You think so?" I asked.

She nodded sincerely and I grinned.

"We'll have to make sure we play him then won't we?" I said.

It wasn't easy, but we did beat him. Mike was pretty good at sport, and even though Bella was no help to him, he still played well. But Juniper and I were better. We made a good team.

Pre-season baseball training was starting. Our first session was after school, so I went to the field and met Matt and Tom there. We had played baseball together since we were old enough to swing a bat.

"So, how's things going with Juniper?" Matt asked me as we did our warmup jog around the field.

I smiled despite myself.

"Good," I said. "We beat Mike Newton in badminton today,"

Tom laughed.

"Bet he didn't like that."

"But how are things _really_ going?" Matt pressed. "Like, are you going to ask her out or something?"

I paused. I hadn't really considered going on a date with Juniper. But now that I thought about it, I should ask her out.

"Yeah," I said. "I think I will. Do we have training tomorrow after school?"

"Nup," Tom said.

"Cool," I said, smiling again. "I'll ask her then."

I didn't ask her at lunchtime- it seemed unfair, with all our friends around. Matt and Tom watched me, and Matt mouthed 'You asking her or what?'. But I shook my head, mouthing back, 'Later.'

I considered asking her in Gym class, but decided after school was best. We had a fun Gym lesson- we designed a new game we called Extreme Badminton. However Coach Clapp didn't think the game was quite as genius as we did, and made us pack up all the equipment.

When I'd finished that and gotten changed I went out to the parking lot and walked over to where Juniper had parked her scooter. I leant against the wall next to it and waited for her.

"Hello again," she said, smiling at me. She wrapped her arms around me in a hug, her warm body pressing against mine.

"So, are you doing anything now?" I asked her.

"Going home and working," she replied. "Why?"

"Well, I just thought that we could do something. That is, if you want to. If you're busy, that's okay-" I realized I sounded stupid and stopped talking. But she smiled at me.

"Definitely." I said. "What did you have in mind?"

I smiled, pleased with my success, then I shrugged. I didn't care what we did- just being with her was good.

"Whatever. We could go to the movies over in Port Angeles. They've got a little cinema."

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah. That's sounds good. You want to go now, or will I meet you later?" she asked.

"Take your scooter home and I'll come get you in, say, half an hour?" I said.

"Sounds good," she replied. She gave me one last smile and got on her scooter, started it, and drove away. I watched her blonde head disappear in the mass of cars.

I went home, had a shower, and got dressed.

"Where are you going?" my dad asked me.

"Out with a friend," I replied.

"Ah. Juniper?"

I smiled.

"Maybe,"

He laughed at me.

"You really like her, hey?" he asked.

"When are we going to meet her?" my mom asked from the kitchen.

"Not for a while mom. It's weird to take people home to meet your parents too early. This is our first proper date,"

"Okay then," mom sighed. "I'd like to meet her though, What's she like?"

I had a few minutes, so I sat down.

"Well," I began, picturing Juniper in my mind as I described her. "She's got blonde hair, and really, really green eyes. She's pretty small and skinny. She always wears nice clothes- her family owns a clothes shop. She's a really good singer and dancer, and she's good at sport too, and..." I trailed off.

"You really fancy her, don't you?" dad said, chucking. I felt myself blush.

"I've gotta go pick her up," I said, standing up.

"Okay. Have fun." dad said.

"Don't be back too late!" mom said.

"Yes mom," I said, and closed the door.

I drove over to Juniper's shop, arriving at exactly the time I said I would.

She was waiting for me at the front and so I didn't go inside, just got out to open her door for her. She was wearing a grey dress and a big black coat, with black boots. She looked pretty, as always.

I hoped I looked okay in my jeans and t-shirt. It was too cold for a t-shirt really, but Juniper never seemed to get cold so I didn't want to look like I always did.

She didn't talk much in the car. I turned on the radio softly to fill the silence.

"Do you mind?" she asked, pointing to the radio.

I shook my head.

Juniper fiddled with the dials and found some music amoung all the talk.

"I love this song!" she said, turning it up. I'd never heard the song before, but she started singing along. Her words didn't seem to quite match the real lyrics, and I laughed.

"What, can you sing it better?" she said defensively.

"No, I don't even know this song." I replied.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"It's okay." I said, shrugging. I didn't know it enough to have an opinion.

"What kind of music are you in to?" she asked, suddenly curious.

"Oh, whatever." I said nonchalantly.

"Come on. What's your favourite song? Favourite band?" she pressed.

I blushed. I normally avoided telling people my music preferences. None of my friends were into old music like I was. But maybe Juniper liked old stuff too. She seemed to know a lot of music. At least she'd know who I was talking about.

"I don't know. I guess I like old bands. Pink Floyd and Crowded House and Cold Chisel. Snow Patrol's okay too. And I like that song, _Mr Brightside_. That's good too." I felt myself getting redder with every word that came out of my mouth. I avoided her gaze, expecting her to laugh in my face.

"No way!" she said in surprise. "I love that old stuff. And I used to love Snow Patrol too. I wouldn't have picked up for an old music kind of guy though." she looked at me curiously. I blushed more.

"I don't know, my dad listens to it a lot and I kind of got used to it and learnt to like it, I heard it so often." I mumbled, by way of explanation.

"My dad used to listen to that stuff too." she said softly.

Was it my imagination, or did her voice go funny when she said that? Was there something I didn't know about her dad? Had he run out on them or something? I decided to change the subject.

"So, when did you start singing?" I asked.

"About the same time I started talking." she replied with a laugh. Her voice was back to normal, as animated as before.

"Weren't you ever in choirs or anything though?" I asked her.

"No." she said, "I just sang for fun. With my mum and... her friends."

"You're so good though. I thought you must have been taught." I said, smiling at her.

"Thanks." she said, seemingly really pleased at my compliment. I liked the idea that I could make her happy like that.

"So do you sing much now?" I asked.

She hesitated before replying, although I had no clue why.

"Sort of. I sing with... some friends. From outside town. I don't see them that much, but they're in to, you know, performing, as well, so when we get together we do that."

I was surprised. She didn't have a lot of friends at school.

"I didn't know you had friends out of town."

"Mmm," she said, almost like she regretted telling me. "Actually, you know one of them. Alice Cullen."

I raised his eyebrows.

"Alice Cullen? She's your friend?"

This seemed unlikely. The Cullens weren't friends with anyone.

"Yeah," she said, again seeming regretful at telling me.

"I didn't think she had any friends at school. None of the Cullens talk to anyone." I said.

She shrugged. "She's more of a friend-of-a-friend. She's friendly enough when we see each other, but I guess because she's a senior and I'm a junior, she doesn't want to be too good friends at school."

I could understand that. Seniors normally didn't like being associated with juniors.

"Do you know the other Cullens?" I asked.

She shrugged again.

"Sort of. I've met them, but they never talk to me much. They're a little unfriendly." she said.

"Yeah, they kind of keep to themselves." I said in agreement. "Although the younger one, Edward, he's been hanging out with that new girl a bit."

"Yeah, apparently they're together." she said, then bit her lip. Did she think I didn't know that? It was pretty obvious after all.

"So what movies are on?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know. We'll see when we get there." I replied.

"Cool." she said.

Eager for her to return to her normal, happy-to-tell-me-stuff self, I decided to talk about something not involving the Cullens. It was a subject she didn't seem to enjoy discussing.

"Are you a chick-flick kind of girl?" I asked.

She laughed and I smiled. She was back to normal.

"No," she said. "I know I look like one, but I'm not at all. I'm not into the whole sob-story thing. I like a bit of action."

Stupidly, I blushed, hearing a second meaning in her words she probably hadn't intended.

"Can't say I like them either." I said, "Steph's made me sit through a few. I struggle to stay awake most of the time."

She laughed again.

"What movies do you like?"

I shrugged.

"Oh, you know. Action. Mystery. That sort of thing," I said.

"And I suppose you like the same kind of books," she said. "Or don't you read?"

"Nah, I like books. Same sort of genres." I didn't say I liked sci-fi. Girls hated sci-fi. I didn't want Juniper thinking I was a total freak.

"I used to read heaps," she said, "Not so much anymore. Study and work and stuff kind of limits my time,"

I nodded, understanding.

We were almost at Port Angeles.

"Have you been to Port Angeles before?" I asked her as we drove down the main street into town.

She shook her head.

"I've been meaning to go, but I haven't gotten round to it,"

"It's pretty nice," I said. "The cinema's just up here."

I found a parking space and we walked into the cinema. The movies showing flashed up on a screen. I read the titles. The only good movie wasn't on for two hours. There wasn't much to do until then.

"Do you care if we don't go to the movies?" I asked. I was disappointed- I'd kind of been looking forward to sitting in the movies with Juniper.

"No." she said, "We can do something else, I don't mind."

I liked how easy going she was. I tried to think of something else to do.

"We could... go out for dinner?" I said.

"It's only five o'clock." she replied.

I nodded. I wasn't really hungry, it had just been the only thing I could think of. I frowned. This was turning out to be a terrible date. I took Juniper out and I couldn't even think of anything to do with her.

"Does Port Angeles have a fish and chips shop?" she asked.

"I thought you weren't hungry?" I said, confused.

"I'm not now. But we could buy it and then drive back to Forks, go down to the beach and eat it there, watch the sunset. Or the clouds turning pink, either one." She laughed.

This was a pretty good suggestion. And watching the sunset was romantic- or at least, Juniper would think so.

"Okay." I agreed.

We went to the fish and chips shop and ordered. Juniper tried to pay for herself but I insisted. We got pretty much the same thing- obviously she was a girl with a healthy appetite. I was glad- I hated it when girls went on diets and wouldn't eat anything. And Juniper had such a nice body anyway, she didn't need to lose weight.

When we'd bought the food, we drove down to La Push First Beach. Even though it was cloudy, we could just see the sun setting on the horizon. We ate the food and watched in silence. She sat close to me, and where our bodies touched my skin seemed to burn, even through my clothes.

"This is nice." Juniper said. She leant her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I replied. "Better than the movies." Slowly, I dropped my head on top of hers, resting it gently.

And we sat there for a long time, before she spoke,

"I better get home."

Only then did I notice how dark it was getting. But I didn't want her to leave.

"So soon?" I asked.

"We have school tomorrow. Can't go to bed too late." Her voice wasn't serious, but I knew that we should leave anyway. I sat up, lifting my head off hers.

"I suppose." I said.

We walked back up to my car and I drove her back to her shop. We didn't speak much, just listened to the radio. When we got there, I walked her to her door.

"I'll see you tomorrow." she said, smiling at me.

"Okay," I said, already wishing tomorrow was today. "Do you need a ride to school or anything?"

"No, I'm fine," she said. She pointed to her scooter, parked on the pavement outside.

"Cool. See you tomorrow then." I said.

I waved and walked back to my car. Juniper waved back and closed the door.

I drove home in a sort of daze.

"Did you have fun?" My mom asked as soon as I walked in the door. She'd waited up for me.

"Yeah, I did," I said, unable to wipe the grin off my face.

"What did you do? Go to the movies?"

"We were going to," I said, getting a glass and pouring myself an orange juice. "But there was nothing on."

"So what did you do instead?" mom pressed.

I shrugged.

"Got fish and chips and ate it on the beach."

Mom smiled knowingly.

"Watched the sunset did you?"

I nodded in between gulps of juice.

"Well, I'm still expecting to meet her," mom said, standing up.

I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, you will." I said.

Mom smiled. "Goodnight," she said.

"Night mom," I replied.

I went to bed. And my dreams were full of soft lips and warm bodies and sparkling green eyes.


	7. The Beach

I got to school early, hoping Juniper might be there so I could see her before lunchtime. I waited in my car- it was pouring outside- but didn't see her drive in. The rain stopped and I got out of my car, leaning against it to watch students drive in, looking out for Juniper on her scooter. But she didn't arrive, and I was going to be late for class, so I left. She was probably running late- maybe she'd slept in. I found myself imagining her sleeping- blonde hair spread out across the pillow, face peaceful, lips just slightly parted...

I almost walked into Eric Yorkie, and quickly made myself concentrate on what I was doing. I went to class and tried to listen and take notes and do my work, all the time unable to stop thinking about Juniper. In first hour, Spanish, Matt and Tom asked me how it had went. I didn't give them a lot of details, and Mrs. Goff kept telling us to stop talking, so they said I'd tell them at lunchtime.

I waited for lunchtime eagerly- not to tell Matt and Tom about my date with Juniper, but to see her. I got there before her, but it didn't take long for her to arrive. I waved to her and she smiled and came to sit down next to me. I wanted to talk to her, but Tom chose that moment to ask me when our first baseball game was. Alex wanted to come and watch, but she couldn't if it was in the next three weeks because she had a heap of ballet rehearsals for the concert coming up.

Juniper was similarly tied up talking to Steph. I couldn't hear what they were saying really, then I heard Steph say 'Andy'. I was about to turn and ask them what they were talking about, when Kate and Matt arrived.

"Hey everyone!" Kate said loudly and sat down between Steph and Juniper.

"So, tell us about last night!" Matt said as he sat down next to me.

"Last night?" Alex asked. "What happened last night?"

Her question was answered by Kate, who suddenly squealed,

"You went out with Andy?"

Half the cafeteria turned to look at me. My face went hot, and I knew I was blushing. I looked at Juniper. Her cheeks were redder than normal as well.

Kate began to ask Juniper questions. Alex joined in. Matt and Tom seemed to decide they'd get more information out of her, and leaned in to listen.

"Where did you go?" Kate asked her. "What did you do?"

"Was it good?" Alex asked.

"Did you guys... do anything?" Kate said suggestively.

"We went to the beach and ate fish and chips." Juniper said, eyes wide and defensive. "That's all."

Clearly no one believed her.

"Nice work mate," Matt murmured to me.

I blushed more and didn't answer.

The bell went then. Juniper practically sprinted out of the cafeteria. I went off to English and tried to ignore the stares and whispers around me.

Juniper didn't look happy when she walked into Gym at the end of the day.

"Hey," I said, a little tentatively.

"Hi." she smiled, but it was a bit forced, I could tell.

"They're pretty annoying, hey?" I said.

" 'Pretty annoying', is an understatement." she said, "Do you realize that the whole school is talking about us? Even Chloe knows." She shook my head.

"Who's Chloe?" I asked, confused.

"Just this girl in Biology." she replied, then sighed. "But that's not the point."

I pulled her into a hug, feeling her warm body against mine.

"Is it really that bad?" I said into her ear.

She lifted her face to look up at me, and smiled.

"But I didn't want this. I just wanted to be with you." she whispered.

"I know. I wanted the same." I replied.

It was true, too. Ben and Daniel, and half the other guys in school, wanted Juniper so they could tell all their friends that they were dating her. I didn't want the world to know we were together. I just wanted to be.

"It'll get better," I said, trying to cheer her up. "In a few days no one will care. It'll go back to normal, I promise."

"You think so?" she asked, speculative.

"I know so." I replied.

She laughed, and I smiled at the sound. I wasn't sure that everything would go back to normal in just a few days, but I hoped so. And really, how long could it take for them to get over it?

After school I was doing my homework at the kitchen bench and my dad was watching the news. When the weather report came on, he said,

"The weather's going to be good this weekend, Andy. You should go down to La Push with your friends."

I turned around, and sure enough, a yellow sun was hovering above Forks on the map. The weatherman pointed to it, making a joke about a technical error.

"Yeah, I think we might." I said.

My mom emerged from the laundry. She had been listening to the conversation.

"Good, you can ask Juniper over for lunch." she said brightly.

"Mom, she might not want to come..." I said.

"Oh course she will. I want to meet this girl, that you spend so much time with. Invite her to lunch on Sunday." mom said.

I sighed, knowing I couldn't persuade her.

I asked Juniper to the beach on Friday, at lunch when we were all in the cafeteria. Asking her too soon after our date looked a little desperate. No way was I mentioning Sunday lunch yet.

"The weather might be okay tomorrow." I said casually, "Do you want to go down to the beach?"

"Yeah!" She sounded really enthusiastic.

Then she glanced at the others. Guessing what she was thinking, I said,

"I thought we would all go. You don't mind, do you?"

She shook her head. I half wanted her to say yes, to tell me she just wanted to spend time with me. But I'd already discussed the trip with Matt, so there was no way I could get out of going with the group.

I slept in the next morning. I hadn't been able to sleep last night, thinking about Juniper. I hurriedly got dressed in my board shorts and threw a t-shirt on. I dog bolted a bowl of cereal and then rushed to the car, driving over to Juniper's. She was waiting in the shop as usual. She looked really excited- she practically skipped to the car. I grinned and opened her door for her.

"You don't have to do that you know," she said, getting in.

"I want to," I said, getting in the drivers side. "You bring your bathers?"

"Wearing them." she said.

I grinned, imagining her in bikinis.

"Hope it's warm enough to swim." I said. I glanced out the window, looking at the fluffy white clouds.

"It'll be warm enough." Juniper said confidently.

We parked in the parking lot at First Beach. Everyone was there except Alex.

"Where's Alex?" Juniper asked Tom.

"She's sick," Tom said, "She's got a cold or something."

"Poor her." Juniper said.

"You bring your swimming stuff?" Kate asked her from the front seat of Matt's car.

"Yeah," Juniper replied.

"Let's go then." Steph said.

We all made our way down to the beach and laid our towels on the rocks. I put mine next to Junipers.

Kate pulled off her t-shirt, and Juniper and Steph did the same. I looked at her flat stomach- it was almost as tanned as her arms and legs, and flat. She laid down on her towel, putting on her sunglasses. She looked like she was falling asleep.

Matt and Tom got up and went down to the water.

"Hey Andy, we're going in, you coming?" Matt called out to me.

I shook my head in their direction.

"Come on, Andy, the water's nice!" Tom yelled.

"Nah, I'm right." I replied.

I turned my head away from them, looking at Juniper, and smiled. She was so pretty. I'd never seen a prettier girl. But she was more than that. She was smart and funny and cool. She was fun to talk to, fun to be around. She was perfect.

She stirred and started to sit back. I quickly looked away, watching Matt and Tom in the water. She took off her sunnies and smiled at me. I smiled back.

"You're not going in?" she asked me, nodding towards Matt and Tom, who were now wrestling each other into the water.

I shrugged.

"I might. Are you?"

She nodded.

"I'll go now, if you want to come."

I nodded and we stood up. She took off my board shorts. Her body would make a model jealous. I took off my t-shirt, hoping I didn't look to pale. I was more tanned than Matt and Tom, mostly because I had a bit of native in me, or so my dad said. I noticed Juniper looking at me. I liked it that she looked at me.

"You ready?" I asked her.

"Yep," she replied.

We walked down the beach, stepping across the grey rocks. I wondered what it would be like to hold her hand. Would she mind? I didn't think so...

Watching the water, I casually put my hand around hers, wrapping my fingers around it. She responded, fingers entwining with mine. I glanced down at her fingers, and then at her face. Was she cool with this?

"Is this okay?" I asked her. I sounded stupid, but I had to know what she was thinking.

She grinned. "Of course, it's fine."

We reached the thin stretch of sand. It was cold on my bare feet, and the water was freezing.

"It's cold!" Juniper said, sounding surprised.

I laughed.

"I bet Australian beaches are warmer than this," I said.

She nodded, starting to shiver.

"Do you wanna get back out?" I asked. I didn't want her to freeze.

She shook my head, even though her teeth were starting to chatter.

"Gotta go at least waist deep." she said with determination.

We kept walking, still hand-in-hand. The water was still freezing, but I was determined not to let it show.

We got to waist deep on her, it was only halfway up my thigh. Tom and Matt ran up to us, both dripping wet, and splashing Juniper in the process. She screamed.

"Guys, cut it out, she's cold!" I said, annoyed. I liked being in the water with her, I didn't want her to get cold and get out.

"Andy, I'm fine." she said.

Was I being over protective?

"Yeah Andy, she's fine." Matt said grinning. He put both his hands under the water and scooped the water out in her direction, showering her. She screamed again, and Tom and Matt laughed at her. I frowned. I wished they'd cut it out.

"Juniper, just go in and warm up-" I started to say. her fingers were turning blue. But before I could finish my sentence, she had launched herself at Matt, and tackled him into the water. I laughed as Matt surfaced, spluttering.

"I c-can't believe you d-did that." he said, shivering so badly he could hardly talk.

We all laughed at him. Juniper didn't look at cold now. She grabbed my hand and pulled me in too. I went right under, the crushing cold surrounding me for a moment, and then emerged dripping and laughing. I looked at Juniper, watching her push the water off her face. She had seaweed in her ear. I laughed.

"Think you've got some seaweed in your ear, Juniper." I said, "Either that or your ears are green." I said it as a joke, but she looked seriously worried, as if it was a possibility. Her hand went to her head, eyes wide. Then she smiled and laughed and picked the seaweed out.

We were all getting cold, and so not long after that we all went in. Juniper wrapped herself in her towel. I grabbed my towel and went to stand with Matt and Tom. They were talking about our upcoming baseball games and baseball in general- both our team and the professional league.

After a while we returned to sit with the girls. Juniper was sitting up, looking upset, and I knew that something we wrong. Kate and Steph were lying down sun baking. None of them were talking. When Matt, Tom and I sat down they sat up and talked to us, but Kate ignored Juniper.

After a while Tom decided he wanted to go to the rock pools.

"You want to come to the rock pools, Juniper?" Tom asked her. She seemed to have become the official 'do stuff' girl- meaning she would actually do stuff the guys wanted to do, not just lie around and sun bake and talk.

"Yeah, they're awesome." Matt said, encouraging her. "You should come and look."

I expected Juniper to jump at the chance, but she hesitated, glancing at Kate and Steph.

"Um, no thanks." she said. "Rock pools aren't really my thing."

I looked at her in confusion. She was lying, I was sure of it. She loved nature and stuff- rock pools would definitely be her thing. So why wasn't she going?

Both Tom and Matt looked disappointed. They convinced Steph to go, and then Kate said she'd go too. Juniper watched them leave, looking miserable.

"Why didn't you want to see the rock pools?" I asked me. I was sitting on my towel next to her. She leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder. Her wet hair was cold, but I didn't mind, because where her cheek touched my bare skin seemed to burn like it was on fire.

"Like I said, rock pools aren't my thing." she replied.

"Really?" I said, "You seem like a rock pool kind of girl."

I felt her cheek move, and thought that she was smiling. Then she smiled was gone. I sat up and turned to face her.

"Did Kate say something?" I asked.

Her eyes widened at my guesswork.

"How did you know?" she asked.

I shrugged.

"Just guessed," I said. This wasn't completely true, but still. "I know she can be a bit... bitchy. Was it about Matt and Tom?"

"Mostly Matt." she said. "Although I don't know why she cares. She doesn't even like him much."

I shrugged again. I had never understood Kate.

"Thought it might be. She was the same when her and Matt were together and my cousin came down from Boston. My cousin and Matt played a bit of baseball together, and Kate got all mad and bitchy to her."

I remembered it well. Kate's jealousy was one of the main reasons her and Matt had broken up.

"Don't worry about her." I said. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in. She was so warm despite the cold water all over her. "In a few days she'll be back to normal."

She put her arms around me too. Having so much of her bare skin pressed up against mine felt... nice.

"Now," I said as we broke apart. "Do you still want to go to the rock pools? If we hurry we'll catch up."

She nodded and we stood up. We set off at a quick walk. I led the way down the sandy track that led to them. We arrived only a few minutes after the others. Kate glared at Juniper, but she either didn't notice or didn't care. She lay down on her stomach next to one, seeming not to notice the sharp rock, and gazed into it. I smiled, glad I had convinced her to come.

When we got back to the beach some of the kids from the reservation were there. I knew some of them- my dad was friends with a couple of the Quileutes. I came down to the beach quite a lot and so I saw them then. They had set up a bonfire, and Matt and I asked if we could join them. They agreed easily enough, and all of us went to sit on the sand or driftwood logs. It was getting dark and the temperature was dropping- I was glad of the warm bonfire.

I sat on a log with Matt and some Quileute guys our age. Some of them were older and some younger than we were. We talked for a while. One of the older Quileute guys, Sam, joined us, and told us a long, funny story. We all laughed. I glanced around to see where Juniper was. She wasn't with Kate, Steph and Tom. I saw her talking to one of the Quileutes. She was wearing a jumper she hadn't had before. Had the Quileute guy given it to her.

I felt a hot burst of jealousy. Then I forced myself to think about it. The guy she was talking to looked younger than us- he was still a kid really. Juniper was allowed to talk to anyone she wanted, and except jumpers if she really wanted to. After all, it was better than her getting cold. I didn't want to turn into one of those guys who didn't let their girlfriends talk to other guys.

I looked away, convinced that I had no reason to be jealous. Sam had launched into another, equally hilarious story. I laughed along with the others, but my eyes wandered back to where Juniper was. She had gone- I thought she might have gone to sit with the others but she wasn't with them. I looked around and saw that she was now with not just the one Quileute guy, but half a dozen of them. She was talking to another young looking guy, his black hair tied up in a ponytail.

I knew she was just talking, but still, I couldn't help feeling a little jealous. I walked over to join her, slipping my arm around her waist. Some of the Quileutes looked disappointed, and shot me jealous looks. Not that I cared.

We went up to the parking lot when it had gotten really dark and cold. Juniper waved goodbye to the Quileutes, but she held my hand as we walked up.

We all said our goodbyes in the parking lot. Juniper got in my car and we drove back to Forks.

"That was really fun. Thanks for organizing it." she said, grinning at me.

"No problem," I replied.

"The Quiltetes are nice." she said,

"Yeah, most of them are good guys." I said. There was no trace of jealousy in my voice- it was stupid that I'd ever been jealous. Juniper was with _me_, Juniper liked _me_. I realized that I still hadn't asked her to lunch the next day. My mom would kill me if I didn't. I glanced at her, and then said,

"Juniper, I know this might seem really sudden, and way to fast," I paused, glanced at her again, watching for her reaction. I hoped she wouldn't freak out. "But my mum wants to meet you, and she wants me to ask you for lunch tomorrow." I said it very fast, trying to get it over with. My cheeks were turning red, I could feel it. I looked at Juniper.

She looked stunned, and I was just beginning to curse my mom when she grinned.

"Yeah!" she said, quite enthusiastically. "I'd love to meet your parents!"

I smiled in relief. She was cool with it.

"That's good," I said, "Cos mum's been begging me to invite you over and I wasn't sure you'd want to."

"No, I really want to." she said, smiling at me.

I smiled back. We sat in silence for a moment and then she spoke.

"Andy," she said. "What's your last name?"

I looked at her in surprise, partly that she didn't know it and partly that she had asked.

"Goldborne." I said.

"Andy Goldborne." she said, mostly to herself.

"What's yours." I asked.

She didn't reply for a moment.

"I don't want to tell you." she said.

I looked at her and smiled.

"It can't be that bad." I said.

"It is. It's stupid and boring and ugly."

"Come on. What is it?"

"Green." she mumbled.

"Green?" I repeated. "Juniper Green?"

It wasn't that bad. And green was so her- she wore green all the time.

She groaned.

"Told you it was stupid and boring and ugly."

"No it's not. It's nice. It suits you." I said sincerely.

"I consider that an insult," she replied.

I laughed.

She was silent for a minute, and then she started laughing. Or giggling, more like.

"What is it?" I asked. confused.

"Nothing," she said. I knew this wasn't true- she couldn't stop laughing.

"Oh, tell me." I pressed.

"It's just our names." she said, "Juniper Green and Andy Goldborne. Green and Gold."

I smiled, not really getting why this was so funny. Heaps of surnames were colours.

"It's not that funny." I said.

"But they're the Australian colours." she explained. "That's why it's funny."

I laughed then, understanding. Juniper joined in and we laughed and laughed all the way to the _Welcome to Forks_ sign.


	8. Mum, Dad, meet Juniper

My mom was, of course, thrilled that Juniper was coming. As soon as I got home she pressed me for details about the day- and got annoyed with my monosyllabic answers- and when I woke up in the morning she was gone, leaving a note on the kitchen bench, _Gone to buy food for lunch_.

I made myself cereal and started on my Maths homework. I was about half way through when I looked at the time.

"Shit!" I said.

It was almost 11 o'clock. I'd slept in- Juniper would be here in an hour. We'd decided last night on 12 o'clock. I rushed to my room to get dressed. I couldn't decide what to wear- I didn't want to look like I wore the same thing all the time. But I didn't really have anything else, and so I put on my jeans and one of my t-shirts.

My room was a pigsty. I didn't know if Juniper would come to my room or not, but it was likely, and I definitely wanted her to. And so I set to work stuffing clothes into drawers, picking stuff up off the floor and throwing it out of sight. Most of my stuff ended up on my bed- I had no where else to put it.

My mom arrived home and nodded to me approvingly when she saw I was cleaning my room. I rolled my eyes.

Mom went to the kitchen and I heard her preparing lunch. My dad arrived home- he'd been out early, fishing- and went to change. I checked my hair in the mirror- flattening it, then ruffling it up again. I glanced out my window and saw Juniper making her way up the driveway. She was looking at my house, smiling. I ducked, hoping she couldn't see me watching her through the window. A moment later, the doorbell rang.

I waited a moment, so it didn't look like I was waiting at the door, and then walked towards it. I opened the door.

"Hi!" I said. "You look nice."

She looked good all the time of course, but her blue and white top was pretty.

"Thanks," she said, smiling at me.

She looked a tiny bit nervous, which was understandable, I guessed.

"Come in," I said, stepping out of the way so she could enter the house.

She walked in, looking around. There wasn't much to see- most of the doors coming off the hallway were closed, including my bedroom. I led her down the hallway until we reached the family room.

My dad was lying on the couch, watching the baseball. Mom was in the kitchen. She turned around as we entered.

"Oh!" she said, pretending to be surprised, even though she'd heard the doorbell. "You're here."

She wiped her hands on a tea towel and went to Juniper. To my embarrassment, she hugged her and kissed her cheek. Juniper seemed fine about it, kissing my mom's cheek back.

"I'm Kathy. We're so pleased to meet you! Andy's told us so much about you." Mom gushed.

"Mum!" I said, feeling my cheeks go hot. Juniper laughed.

"Nice to meet you too." she said, smiling at my mom.

My dad got up from the couch and he came over to shake Juniper's hand.

"I'm Peter." he said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Andy, give me hand with this," my mom said, taking the chicken out of the oven and trying to juggle the plate of sandwiches. I took the chicken from her and set it on the bench.

"Now, we've got lots of different sandwiches, some salad and some chicken for lunch." My mom said "Is that fine with you Juniper?" She bustling around the kitchen, getting out plates and cutlery.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine." Juniper said, "Anything I can help with?"

I went to sit on the couch with my dad. The game was on of course.

I looked towards the kitchen. Juniper and my mom were looking at us. I grinned at Juniper and she smiled back.

Mom got lunch on the table in the next few minutes and we all sat down to eat. Juniper was really polite to my parents, which I was glad about because I knew it meant a lot to them. Both my mom and my dad seemed to love her. They got on really well, talking naturally in no time at all.

"So, Andy tells me you're a Pink Floyd fan," Juniper said to my dad, a smile playing on her lips.

My dad laughed, as did my mom. I couldn't help but smile as well.

"That's just as much Andy as me." dad said, "But yeah, I'm a fan. Went to all their concerts as a kid."

"Do you have their album _The Delicate Sound of Thunder_?" Juniper asked eagerly.

My dad nodded, looking a little amused.

"You?" he asked her.

She shook her head in dismay.

"Not any more. Dad had it, but... it got lost. Still got some of it on my iPod though. I love _Money_."

I smiled to myself, slightly amazed that Juniper got on so well with my parents.

After lunch Juniper asked my mom if she wanted help cleaning up. My mom declined- although I could tell she was glad Juniper had asked- and told me to 'show her around'.

Our house wasn't very big, and there wasn't a lot to show her. So I took her up to the front of the house and opened the door to my bedroom.

Juniper went inside, looking around. I wished I'd had time to get all the stuff off my bed and into drawers, but she didn't seem to mind.

Then she went over to the book shelf and started reading the titles on the spines. I felt myself blushing again. I knew my obsession my sci-fi was extremely uncool, but I couldn't help it- I had always loved them. I still read some of them, when I had time.

Juniper turned around to look at me, eyebrows raised.

"I don't actually read those anymore." I mumbled, still blushing like crazy.

Her eyebrows went up another half centimeter.

"Really?" she said, her voice disbelieving.

I nodded, trying to be convincing.

She shrugged, turning away.

"Suit yourself. I think those books are cool." she said.

I was sure she wasn't serious, but I grinned. I grabbed her into a hug. She pretended to struggle and make me let go. She made us both fall on my bed. I tickled her and she squealed, slapping at my fingers playfully. We were both screaming with laughter. Eventually we stopped. I half wondered what my parents would be thinking. Then I looked at Juniper and our eyes locked, and all thoughts were pushed out of my mind. She was so close. I could see every detail of her beautiful, flawless face. I could see the millions of shades of green in her eyes.

We were practically alone. My whole body suddenly wanted her, wanted to touch her and have her touch me.

She rolled onto her side, bringing her body even closer to mine. I rolled towards her, moving slowly, my eyes never leaving hers. She seemed to want this too- she reached out and I felt her warm hand on the back of my neck, her fingers in my hair. It sort of tickled. It felt nice. I put my hand on her back, pulling her closer. Her legs made contact with mine. She was wearing black pants and I was wearing jeans, but it didn't matter. It was still her body, her beautiful body, touching mine. I pulled her even closer, until there was no space between us. Her face was so close. And then her eyes closed, and she leaned it, and pressed her lips against mine. Her lips were warm and soft and moist. I closed my own eyes, breathing in her sweet scent. It felt so good to be lying there with her. I held on to her tightly, but I was careful not to squeeze to hard. I rolled on to my back, and she rolled with me, wrapped in my arms. Her weight on top of me didn't bother me- I liked the feeling. The hand that had previously been under her stroked my cheek, her soft warm fingers dancing across my face. Her lips parted and mine did too.

We kissed for a long time. She broke contact, smiling apologetically. I understood why- my parents would be getting suspicious.

We returned to the kitchen. She smiled at me continuously, and I couldn't help grinning moronically back. My mom guessed of course, smiling at us knowingly. My dad glanced up too. When Juniper's back was turned he gave me a thumbs up and raised his eyebrows. It was a question. I rolled my eyes but gave him a thumbs back in return. He smiled at me, somewhat proudly.

Juniper left not long after that. I gave her a quick kiss at the door- nothing compared to our previous one. But I was aware of my mom hovering down the hallway.

I returned to the kitchen and sat down on the couch, next to my dad. My mom came and sat down on my other side. I felt surrounded.

"Well?" she said.

"Well." I replied.

"I think she's lovely, Andy. I'm so pleased for you."

I smiled. "Yeah, she's great. Thanks mom."

My dad nodded. "Pretty, athletic, a Pink Floyd fan. I'd be marrying her if I were you."

I grinned. "I'm glad you guys liked her."

"She's a keeper, Andy." dad said, turning the baseball on again. "Definitely."

"So," my mom said, getting up and returning to the kitchen. She rewashed plates and avoided my gaze. "What did you two get up to in your room?"

"Kathy!" dad said, as I blushed. "Don't ask him that. Andy's old enough to get some action-"

My mom's eyes widened. "You didn't do anything like that did you? You're not that serious? I'm happy for you to do some kissing and some... fondling, but-"

"Mum!" I said, horrified.

"Andy, before you... go all the way, I'd like you to talk to your father or me, make sure you know what you're doing. And make sure you don't pressure Juniper into anything that she doesn't want to do-"

"Mum! Please!" I said, not enjoying how this conversation was going.

"Leave him alone Kathy. He's fine." dad rescued me, his eyes not leaving the television.

My mom looked at me with concern, but didn't bring it up again. I quickly escaped to my room.


	9. Gone Forever

Monday came and the weather was back to more typical Forks weather- clouds and rain.

My dad was eating cereal in the kitchen when I went out.

"Morning," he said to me.

"Hey dad," I replied.

"You seeing Juniper today?"

I rolled my eyes. "Dad, we go to school together."

"I know. I mean, _seeing_ her. After school or something."

I smiled. "No. Just at lunch, and in Gym."

He nodded.

"She's a nice girl, Andy. Really nice." he said, standing up and taking his cereal bowl to the sink.

"Yeah, she is." I said.

He put his bowl in the dishwasher.

"I've gotta get going then," he said.

"See you later." I replied.

He nodded, pulling his coat off the back of the one of the chairs. He paused before going down the hallway.

"Andy," he said. "I'm really proud of you."

I smiled. "Thanks dad."

My dad smiled back, and then turned. I heard his heavy footsteps walking down the hallway, and then I heard the front door close.

I finished my breakfast and then went to school.

Morning classes were fairly boring. I hadn't told Matt and Tom that I was inviting Juniper home to meet my parents, and so they didn't press me for information. I wasn't planning on telling them either- they wouldn't understand.

At lunchtime I walked into the cafeteria to see that Juniper was already there. She was talking to Steph. Kate was talking to Alex. I walked up behind Juniper and sat down next to her, giving her a quick kiss. We both lingered after the kiss, both wishing we could kiss more. But we were in a public place.

Lunch was fairly normal, although Kate ignored Juniper the whole hour, I noticed. I was worried that Juniper would be upset about this, but she didn't seem to mind to much.

I waited impatiently through fifth hour, and then went quickly to Gym. As always, I was there before Juniper. I pulled her into a hug and kissed her. She held onto me tightly.

"Hey," I said as I let her go.

"Hey." she grinned.

"We're playing baseball," I told her, "Going outside."

I was secretly a little excited. Baseball was my favourite sport- the only sport I could really beat everyone in. I knew that Ben and Daniel weren't half as good at baseball as I was.

Juniper and I followed the class outside to the oval. It had stopped raining but it was still cold. We were split into teams. I was with Juniper, which I was glad of. Ben and Daniel were both on the other team, I was glad to see.

The coach ordered us to 'practice' before we started playing. Juniper grabbed a ball and threw it to me. We threw it back and forth. Juniper's throws were a little loopy, but she was better than most of the girls. After a while I got a bat and she pitched it to me. I did small hits that she caught easily. I let her have a hit but she couldn't hit it to me- the ball always went to my left or right.

"Sorry!" she said apologetically. "I can't get it to go where I want."

I grinned. "That's okay. You're getting better." I told her.

Eventually we started playing a game. Our team was batting first. Mike Newton said he'd go first, so I sat with Juniper behind the base and watched. The skinny guy called Clive was pitching and he was terrible. His pitch was high and loopy and straight to Mike's bat. Mike hit it to the left outfield and then ran around to second base. Alicia Cunningham- a tall, red headed girl- batted next and got Mike home.

The fielding team- including Ben and Daniel- were terrible at throwing and catching, and couldn't get anyone out.

Juniper had her go. She stepped up to the base. I saw her grip tighten on the bat. The pitch was easy and she smashed it into the right outfield. Her blonde hair whipped around and then she was off, sprinting around the bases. She made it to third. I went next. I held the bat ready, concentrating on the ball. The loopy pitch came and I swung as hard as I could. It soared over the outfielders heads. They ran after it. I ran, watching Juniper take off towards home. I ran all the way around, slowing down on second to watch Juniper attempt to slide. She made a bit of a mess of it and got covered in mud. I laughed and sprinted it, showing off my own slide.

Juniper had mud all over her Gym outfit, and on her arms and face as well. I couldn't help laughing at her. She wiped some mud off her arm and threw it at me. It splattered all over my t-shirt. I gasped in surprise, but then I grinned and laughed. I bent down and scooped some mud off the ground, throwing it at her. She retaliated by grabbing my arm and smearing the mud all over it. We both fell to the ground, rolling around in the mud and throwing clumps of it at each other.

"Don't you love my tan?" she asked me, smearing the brown mud all over her arms and posing.

"And your wonderful brunette hair." I said, dumping a handful of mud on my head. She screamed and did the same to me. The mud dripped down my neck and inside my t-shirt, cold and wet.

"Andy Goldborne?"

I looked up. One of the receptionists was standing there, looking around at our gym class. I realized she was looking for me. I stood up, wiping my hands on my gym shorts to get the mud off them.

"Yeah?" I said.

"Your mothers at reception and says she needs to see you urgently. I think there has been an accident." the receptionist said.

I felt a sudden sickness in my stomach. My head felt heavy, with a dull pain that thudded in my ears.

"What? What's wrong? What accident? Is she okay? Is my dad okay?" I shot out the questions quickly, wanting the answers for all of them.

The receptionists made a face, her mouth twisting and forehead puckering. The thudding in my ears became louder.

I turned to Juniper. She was staring at me, her face a mixture of shock and worry.

"I'll see you later." I said to her quickly.

"Of course, go." she said, gesturing with her hand towards the receptionist.

I nodded, hardly hearing her, and turned towards the office. The receptionist had started walking back, looking behind to check that I was following. I sprinted after her. Once I started running, I couldn't make myself stop. I rushed past the receptionist and didn't slow down until I reached the office.

I burst through the glass doors. The heaters were on, but I was already warm from running and it felt to hot in there. I saw my mom sitting on one of the chairs opposite the desk, a steaming cup clutching in her hands. I saw they were trembling. She looked up as I entered. She was crying, a steady stream of tears running down her face. She made no effort to brush them away.

"Mom," I said, rushing to her. I put my arm around her. "What's happened? Is dad okay?"

My mom's face crumpled and her body shook with fresh sobs.

"No," she got out between her tears. "Andy, you're dad, he's... he's passed away."

The room started spinning. I grabbed the closest thing to me- the office chair next to my mom's. One of the receptionists came over, asking if I was alright. Her voice sounded very far away. The thudding in my ears had returned- so loud it was unbearable. My knees suddenly grew weak and I fell to the ground.

"No," I said, shaking my head. It wasn't true, I wouldn't believe it. My dad couldn't be gone, just like that. My dad, who had taught me to throw a baseball and drive a car. My dad who took me to the beach when I was a kid and showed me the rock pools. My dad who talked to me, cared for me, loved me... gone, forever.

"No," I said again. Suddenly soft hands were holding my head, stroking it. I found myself in my mom's lap, while her shaking hands ran through my hair.

"He can't be gone mom," I whispered, "He can't be."

"I know my darling," my mom whispered back. "I know."


	10. Out Of My Life

My house felt different now. Colder. Like all the life in it had been sucked away. Every room, every object, reminded me of my dad, and brought on a fresh wave of sadness, so strong it felt like I was being pushed underwater, unable to breathe, drowning in grief.

My mum had tried to talk to me on the way home in the car, but I couldn't speak. It was beginning to sink in now, the dream like quality had gone, and it was cold and real. My dad was dead.

I went to my room and sat on my bed, staring at nothing. Memories played like a film inside my head. Memories I didn't even know I had were pushed to the surface- a Christmas when I was five, a baseball final when I was in primary school, a trip to my grandma's in Seattle. My dad, always there, always smiling. And now... gone.

My mom went to her own room, and I could hear her soft sobs through the wall.

I heard the phone ring, and my mom run to get it. I heard her quiet voice murmur to whoever had rung to give their condolences. I suddenly remembered Juniper- I had said I'd call her. But I couldn't move, couldn't get up and leave my room, go out the kitchen where my mom would be crying. It was too hard.

I went to my book shelf and found my old photo album. I hadn't put anything it in for years- it was full of old photos from when I was much younger. I opened it. On the first page was a picture of my parents, holding between them a tiny baby. Both of them weren't looking at the camera, instead looking at the baby with love. I felt fresh tears well up as I looked at my dads face.

I heard a soft knocking on my door. My mom again.

"Yes." I said. I could hardly tell her to go away, even though I wanted her to.

As the door opened, I closed the photo album and slid it under my bed. It would open upset my mom more.

"Hi,"

I looked around quickly. I wasn't my mom. It was Juniper. She stood in the doorway, reluctant to move closer. I looked away, frantically wiping away my tears.

"It's not really a good time." I said.

"Okay." Juniper replied, "I understand."

The words annoyed me more than they should have. I was angry. And I chose to take it out on Juniper, the only person nearby.

"No you don't." I said, turning to face her. "You don't understand at all. You have no idea how I feel." My voice was getting louder with the anger that had been building up inside me since the moment I had accepted that my dad was dead.

"Yes I do!" she surprised me by shouting back. "I've lost my parents, I know what it feels like. Don't you tell me I don't know how it feels to lose someone you love."

I froze, staring at her. Her eyes widened and she looked away.

"What?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

Juniper paused before replying.

"My parents are dead." she said finally, her voice quiet. "They died in a car crash before I moved to Forks."

She started to cry, tears running down her face and falling to the floor. She made no attempt to wipe them away. I just stared at her. The girl I thought I knew- I didn't know anything about Juniper. Nothing. And I had been stupid to think otherwise. And now I was angry again, angry at _her,_ because she had kept something this big from me for so long.

"You lied to me." I said. My voice came out in a whisper.

"No!" she said immediately. "I mean, yes, I didn't tell you, but not because I don't trust you. Because, well, because..." She trailed off. She had no excuse. There was no excuse.

"Get out." I said. My voice was quiet and calm, hiding the anger I felt.

"What?" she said, her face disbelieving.

"I said get out!" I exploded. Angry tears began to run down my cheeks as I stood and yelled at her. "Get out of my house! Get out of my life! Just go!"

I took a step towards me and pushed her. She tripped and stumbled, and then picked herself up ran out of the room. I collapsed onto the floor again, and let the tears run.


	11. Aftermath

I woke up the next morning. Outside my window, the weather matched my mood. My head ached from crying. It felt like my heart was aching too.

I had slept in- I hadn't been able to sleep until late. The sound of my mum crying in the next room had kept me awake.

I got up and went to the door of my parent's- my mum's- bedroom. She was sleeping soundly, curled up on one side of the bed.

I spent the morning watching TV. Or at least, sitting in front of the TV while it was switched on. I didn't see anything as I stared blankly at the screen.

The next day I went to school. I couldn't stand the thought of another day at home, where everything reminded me of my dad.

But school was worse. It seemed like everyone knew. Everywhere I looked I saw sympathetic glances. People seemed to avoid me- like I was infected with some disease.

I didn't see Juniper all morning. At lunchtime, still no sign.

"Where's Juniper?" Steph asked me quietly.

I shook my head, and she didn't press the issue.

I was hoping she wasn't at school for some reason, but as I stood in Gym class- talking to Mike Newton, who was too distracted by Bella Swan to know about my dad- I saw her. She walked into the Gym slowly, her eyes scanning the room. I turned away, not wanting to see her. But then I glanced back, and she was staring at me. Our eyes met for a moment, and then I turned away. I couldn't stand looking into those green eyes. Eyes that I still loved, despite everything.

We were playing soccer outside. I paired with Clive, who's partner was sick. I concentrated on not looking at Juniper, focussing on the ball and Clive as he struggled to kick the ball in a straight line. She was paired with Ben Miller. He was clearly pleased about this, and attempted soccer tricks in an attempt to impress her. I didn't know if he was succeeding.

I went home straight after school. I found my mom in the kitchen. She wasn't doing anything- just staring out the window. I walked up behind her and put my arms around her. And we stood there for a long time, just watching the rain.

The day after was the same. School was weird. My friends were good- they were quieter than normal, but they didn't treat me any differently. I couldn't concentrate in classes, but none of the teachers minded. I could feel Juniper's eyes on me during Gym class, but I didn't look at her. I couldn't.

I slept in on Saturday, or tried to. In truth, I lay in bed, wishing I could fall into dreamless sleep. I had been sleeping badly- most of the time the sound of my mom crying kept me awake, and when I did fall asleep my dreams were full of painful memories of my dad. The last conversation we'd had replayed in my mind- my dad's voice constantly repeating,'I'm really proud of you'.

At lunchtime, Steph and her mom came round. Steph's mom and mine went to the kitchen. I could hear them talking softly and drinking coffee. Steph and I went to my room. We sat on the floor in silence.

"Andy, what's happened to Juniper?" Steph asked finally.

I shrugged.

"Well obviously you two have had a fight or something."

Again I shrugged.

"Andy!" Steph said. "Tell me. What happened?"

I sighed. "She came round here... that night. I was kind of upset and I didn't really want to see her. I got angry at her. And... Steph, she's an orphan. Her parents are dead. She lives all by herself. And she never told me."

Steph didn't say anything for a moment. Then she said,

"What did you do when she told you?"

I flushed, remembered how I'd pushed her away.

"I told her to go," I mumbled. "We haven't spoken since."

To my surprise, Steph frowned at me.

"I thought you really liked Juniper?" she asked me.

"I did really like her," I replied. "I... I loved her."

Steph put her hand on my arm softly. "Then don't you think she deserves better than that? She lied to you, and you were angry- that's fine. It's fine if you want to break up with her. But you have to tell her Andy- you have to tell her why."

I looked at Steph. She was right. I still loved Juniper- I couldn't deny that. And even though I wasn't sure I was ready to forgive her yet, I did have to talk to her.

Steph and her mom didn't leave until late. My mom said she was tired and went to bed. I sat on the couch, thinking about what Steph had said. I had to talk to Juniper. I had to.

Picking up my coat and car keys, I left the house.


End file.
